What is Outdoor Lighting, and Why Does it Matter?
Outdoor lighting uses artificial light sources to illuminate inland and coastal environments when the sunsets.
Adding outdoor lights to the exterior of your coastal homes or a house near a freshwater body can enhance safety by brightening your porch and door.
Outdoor lighting can ward off potential intruders roaming around wet locations or by lighting entrances. It can even create dramatic effects and looks in your coastal environments.
Whatever the reasons – amplifying the beauty of your coastal environments, creating secure beach surroundings, or simply relaxing and entertaining – proper planning can help you get the most out of your outdoor and landscape lighting.
How to Choose Coastal Outdoor Lights
The following step-by-step explanation will help you find the right outdoor light fixtures for your beach house or coastal home.
Material for Coastal Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lights are available in many materials, including stainless steel, copper, aluminum, brass, and plastic.
When choosing the perfect lighting sconce for your light fixtures, you must consider weather conditions and coastal elements like salt, sand, and humidity.
Here is a breakdown of the ideal materials that can effectively withstand the effects of salt and humidity in coastal areas:
Stainless Steel
As the name suggests, stainless steel outdoor lights are built to be non-corrosive. Marine-grade stainless steel fixtures are probably the most corrosion-resistant on the market. But they tend to be very expensive and may not be a great option if you have a tight budget.
Although stainless steel light fixtures have superior corrosion resistance, they can still be stained by harsh coastal elements. So, they need to be appropriately maintained if installed in coastal areas for long-term durability.
Brass
You cannot go wrong with brass outdoor light fixtures. The mixture of zinc and copper in solid brass gives this material exceptional durability.
A brass sconce is incredibly tough and can resist constant exposure to salt conditions. The outdoor decor made of this material might turn darker after long use, but it doesn’t corrode easily like aluminum. Brass fixtures need minimal maintenance, making them suitable for coastal lighting.
Copper
Copper is one of the best outdoor light fixture materials you can consider. This material has been a popular choice for jewelry, facades, and sculptures because of its natural exquisiteness.
When used in outdoor light fixture applications, copper’s gold, warm tones highlight the fascinating flicker of outdoor lights. This material is malleable, durable, corrosive resistant, long-lasting, and responds well to temperatures and harsh environments.
A copper sconce and clear glass create a unique lighting style for outdoor space lighting. Copper outdoor lights can last a long time with minimum maintenance, which can help you save money.
Galvanized Steel
The following best material that you can consider for your coastal lighting at the beach house is galvanized steel. This material is made by coating steel with a heavy-duty zinc oxide layer. When the coating is exposed to the elements, it forms zinc carbonate (a protective compound).
Unlike other coastal lighting materials like antique brass, copper, and stainless steel, galvanized steel has an irregularly textured finish that enhances individuality.
Aluminum
Do not forget to consider aluminum lights for your exterior lighting. This material is lightweight, malleable, strong, and corrosion-resistant. When used in coastal lighting, it produces a protective oxide coating. Outdoor light fixtures of this material can last a long while with good maintenance.
Finish (Surface Treatment)
Several factors can affect the performance of a finish or surface treatment, including the type of finish selected, natural weathering, moisture content, UV-resistant capability, and the quality and type of material on the finish is applied on.
All coastal lighting fittings are susceptible to degradation from UV saturation and the natural effects of weathering. You can improve the UV resistance of coastal lighting fittings with the right finish (oil-rubbed bronze, polished brass, aged brass, matte black, or nickel).
You can choose between film-forming and film finishes. A film-forming coating helps protect brass fixtures and other fittings made of different materials.
Film-forming surface treatments on exterior lighting also improve abrasion resistance. On the other hand, film finishes protect against constant exposure to corrosion.
IP Rating
The right material and finish help protect your lighting fixture against the effects of salt and UV saturation. What about protection against water?
Waterproofing of exterior lights is quantified using a system called Ingress Protection Rating. The IP rating is made up of two numbers. The first number ranges from ‘0’ to ‘6’, while the second ranges from ‘0’ to ‘9K’. The two numbers, however, are not referring to the same thing.
The first number refers to the protection from the ingress of solid objects. This can be any solid object, including sand, which is ever-present at your beach house. This ranges from ‘0’ having no protection against contact and ingress of solid particles, to ‘6’ being dustproof. For example, beach house lights with an IP65 rating protect against sand and dust.
The second number denotes the protection from the ingress of water. If the first number is ‘0’, the lights have no water protection, while ‘9K’ means the lights are protected against high-temperature water jets. In the example above, the ‘6’ means the lights are well-protected against powerful water jets.
Outdoor Lighting Styles
There are many lighting styles you can consider for your beach house from popular brands and outdoor lighting manufacturers. Here is our quick breakdown:
Wall Mount
Wall fixtures are excellent for an outdoor wall, garage door, classic porch, or patio lighting. Types that are made of frosted glass are very effective at conserving energy.
Post and Pier Mount
These light fittings are mounted on poles in open-air settings, pathways, and driveways. Post-mount light fittings can also be placed on coastal armor or the top of columns.
Pier light fittings are similar in style to post fixtures but are made on flat surfaces like columns.
Landscape Fixtures
This lighting style highlights the beauty of the surrounding landscape of your beach house. Landscape lighting fittings usually are low voltage. You can use a combination of flood, spot, and light path fittings around your beach house.
Flood Light Fixtures
These are bright, energy-efficient landscape, up, side, wall, and path lighting solutions. They are available in different wattages and color temperatures, generating many lumens. They produce a bright modern look to suit any coastal application.
Outdoor Lighting Size Guide
Front entrance wall lights are among the most visible fixtures in front of your coastal home. If you have space for only one light, choose one roughly one-third the height of the front door. But consider lights that are around one-fourth the height of the door if you have enough outdoor wall space.
When choosing hanging lights, make sure the style and design are in proportion to the dimensions of the covered patio or porch. The space has to be tall enough to accommodate a hanging unit effectively.
As far as path lights are concerned, you can choose them purely based on style and appearance. A universal stem and hat fixture is the most common path and area lighting choice. They provide elegant night illumination of the pathways at your beach house.
Motion Sensor & Dusk to Dawn
When searching for coastal outdoor lighting fixtures, look for advanced features like motion sensors and dusk to dawn.
Motion sensor lights usually are triggered to turn on when they detect movement nearby, making them suitable for security lights. The detection angle and range of motion sensor lights vary by design. On the other hand, dusk to dawn fixtures has special photosensors, which automatically turn on and off with the setting and rising of the sun.
Key Takeaway
If you’re looking to add a sense of magic and mystery to your outdoor lighting at the beach house, this detailed guide is just what you need. Ensure you include everything from the suitable material, surface treatment, ingress protection rating, outdoor lighting styles, and security features like motion sensors and dusk to dawn.
